"Walk, Don't Run" is an instrumental composition written and originally recorded by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

guitarist

Johnny Smith Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote " Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Early life During the Great ...

in 1954, which achieved worldwide fame when

The Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar acro ...

recorded a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

in 1960. It was adapted and re-recorded by

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson (musician), Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nash ...

in 1956, and was a track on the LP ''Hi-Fi In Focus''. This arrangement was the inspiration for the version by The Ventures in 1960 (though the Ventures'

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

is recognizably different from Atkins' finger-picked style) and achieved world-wide recognition, being regarded by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine as one of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.

Johnny Smith

"Walk, Don't Run" was written by Smith in 1954, who was inspired by the song "

Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" is a song with music by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II from the 1928 operetta '' The New Moon''. One of the best-known numbers from the show, it is a song of bitterness and yearning for a lost ...

" by Romberg and

Hammerstein Hammerstein is a municipality on the river Rhine in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. Near the village, is the Hammerstein castle. The ancient German noble family Hammerstein, which have sponsored the Hammerstein Ball ...

. Smith, a jazz musician who had backed singers such as

Patrice Munsel Patrice Munsel (born Patrice Beverly Munsil; May 14, 1925 – August 4, 2016) was an American coloratura soprano. Nicknamed "Princess Pat", she was the youngest singer ever to star at the Metropolitan Opera. Early years An only child, Patrice ...

performing the song, composed "Walk, Don't Run" as a

contrafact A contrafact is a musical work based on a prior work. The term comes from classical music and has only since the 1940s been applied to jazz, where it is still not standard. In classical music, contrafacts have been used as early as the parody m ...

, using the chord progression from "Softly..." as the basis for his melody, which he keyed in D minor. Smith included the piece on his 1954 album ''In A Sentimental Mood'' using a title chosen by his producer, Teddy Reig. It was also on Smith's 1956 album, ''Moods''. In 1967, Johnny Smith recorded a new and more up-tempo arrangement with

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts h ...

George Duvivier George Duvivier (August 17, 1920 – July 11, 1985) was an American jazz double-bassist. Biography Duvivier was born in New York City, the son of Leon V. Duvivier and Ismay Blakely Duvivier. He attended the Conservatory of Music and Art, where ...

, and

Don Lamond Donald Douglas Lamond Jr. (August 18, 1920 – December 23, 2003) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Born in Oklahoma City, Lamond attended the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore in the early 1940s, and played with Sonny Dunham and Boyd Ra ...

on his album ''Johnny Smith's Kaleidoscope''. In 1998 Smith was awarded the

James Smithson James Smithson (c. 1765 – 27 June 1829) was a British chemist and mineralogist. He published numerous scientific papers for the Royal Society during the early 1800s as well as defining Calamine (mineral), calamine, which would eventually be ...

Bicentennial Medal for his contribution to music; the citation singled out “the genesis of 'Walk, Don't Run',” as well as “his manifold accomplishments” and their “profound and pervasive influence on the role of the guitar in contemporary popular culture.”

Chet Atkins

In 1957

recorded a popular rendition of the song for his album ''

Hi-Fi in Focus ''Hi-Fi in Focus'' is the eighth studio album recorded by American guitarist Chet Atkins, released in 1957. In the same year, "The Rhythm Rockers (featuring Chet Atkins)" released a single of "Tricky"/"Peanut Vendor". It did not chart. An EP wa ...

''. He did so after discussing the matter with Smith, who was pleased with the arrangement. Atkins played his arrangement in A minor, using fingerstyle and including the bass notes A,G,F, and E. This later became the basis for the Ventures' arrangement. Other cover versions include those by

the Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the tactical uses of Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. T ...

, Zapatón,

Steve Howe Stephen James Howe (born 8 April 1947) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and backing vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes (band), Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, London, Holloway, North London, Howe d ...

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...

Tommy Leonetti Tommy Leonetti (September 10, 1929September 15, 1979) was an American pop singer-songwriter and actor of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. In Australia his most famous song was "My City of Sydney" (written by Leonetti & Bobby Troup) and was used by t ...

, and the

Penguin Cafe Orchestra The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) was an avant-pop band led by English guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, the band toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band's sound is not easily categorized, having ...

The Ventures recording

After hearing a

recording of "Walk, Don't Run", the

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

-based

instrumental rock Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes instrumental performance and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental music in rock can be found in practically every subgenre of the style. Instrumental rock was most popular f ...

band

released their version of the tune as a single in spring 1960 on Dolton Records. This version made the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 2 and kept out of the number 1 spot by "It's Now or Never" by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. "Walk, Don't Run" also made the US Hot R&B Sides chart, where it went to number 13. The instrumental reached number 3 on the ''Cash Box'' magazine chart for five weeks in August and September 1960. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the song reached #1 on August 29, 1960. The Dolton release of this record had two backing sides, the first release (Dolton 25) had "Home", and after initial sales were so great, the B-side was replaced with a Bogle–Wilson original composition, "The McCoy" (Dolton 25-X), to gain royalties. Personnel on this record were

Bob Bogle Robert Lenard Bogle (January 16, 1934 – June 14, 2009) was an American musician who was a founding member of the instrumental rock band the Ventures. He and Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson founded the group in 1958. Bogle was the lead guitar ...

– lead guitar, Don Wilson – rhythm guitar,

Nokie Edwards Nole Floyd "Nokie" Edwards (May 9, 1935 – March 12, 2018) was an American musician and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was primarily a guitarist, best known for his work with The Ventures, and was known in Japan as the 'King ...

– bass, and Skip Moore – drums. It was recorded and engineered by Joe Boles, who had a basement studio in his home in Seattle, Washington. He also engineered the band's first two albums. This version of the song follows the musical structure known as the

Andalusian cadence The Andalusian cadence (diatonic phrygian tetrachord) is a term adopted from flamenco music for a chord progression comprising four chords descending stepwise: iv–III–II–I progression with respect to the Phrygian mode or i–VII–VI–V pr ...

, which originated from

Flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

, although the Ventures' version replaces the vi chord (relative to C major) with a VI chord, A major. This single, the Ventures' first national release, became a huge hit and vaulted the group to stardom. The song was recorded before the band officially had a drummer. The Ventures' website lists the drummer on "Walk, Don't Run" as Skip Moore. Moore was not interested in touring and never was a full-time member of the band. As payment for his session work, Moore was given the choice of $25 or 25% of any royalties from sales of the single. He took the $25. Bob Bogle played the lead guitar part on this first Ventures recording of the song. The band later rerecorded the song in 1964 (see below), and became the first band to score two top ten hits with two versions of the same tune. "Walk, Don't Run" was included on the compilation album ''15 Hits: The Original Recordings'' released by

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Alvin Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous rev ...

in 1962. And in 1991 the song was included on the compilation CD ''24 Greatest Hits of All Time'' in the EMI Legends of Rock n' Roll Series. In the UK, the tune was covered by the John Barry Seven, whose version, while only peaking at number 11 on the ''

Record Retailer ''Record Retailer'' was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964). The ti ...

'' chart, compared to the Ventures' number 8, outcharted them by reaching the Top 10 on other UK charts, such as that of the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

''. In July 2003, the tune was recorded by Ventures guitarist

and the

Light Crust Doughboys The Light Crust Doughboys is an American Western swing band from Texas, United States, organized in 1931 by the Burrus Mill and Elevator Company in Saginaw, Texas. The band achieved its peak popularity in the few years leading up to World War II. ...

for the album ''Guitars Over Texas''. This version is known for its jazz-inflected second verse and the use of keyboards in place of rhythm guitar.

Critical reception

'' magazine rated the Ventures' version of "Walk, Don't Run" as number 82 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.

Walk, Don't Run '64

"Walk, Don't Run '64" is an updated

recording that features a guitar style more similar to that of "

Misirlou "Misirlou" ( < 'Egyptian' < ''Miṣr'' 'Egypt') is a folk song from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The song's original author is unknown, but Arabic, Greek, and Jewish musicians were playing it by the 1920s. The earliest known recordi ...

", and is notable for starting with a "fade-in" (as opposed to many songs of the era that ended with a "fade out"). In this version, the lead guitarist and bass player from the original switched roles, with Edwards handling the lead parts and Bogle the bass. It reached number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and number 9 on the ''Cash Box'' chart in 1964. In

, the song reached #24. The B-side, " The Cruel Sea", was a version of

the Dakotas The Dakotas, also known as simply Dakota, is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geo ...

' 1963 single. Both recordings featured Nokie Edwards playing the lead guitar part. The recording was used in 2000 for the dancing scene in the Australian movie '' The Goddess of 1967'' by

Clara Law Clara Law Cheuk-yiu (; born 29 May 1957) is a Hong Kong Second Wave film director who moved to Australia with her partner and fellow filmmaker Eddie Fong. She is known for such films as ''Floating Life'' and '' Autumn Moon''. Early life and ed ...

Selected recorded versions

* 1954:

* 1957:

* 1960:

The John Barry Seven The John Barry Seven was a band formed by John Barry in 1957, after he abandoned his original career path of arranging for big bands. Origins Barry contacted three musicians with whom he had served in the Army and three local musicians and i ...

(featuring

Vic Flick Victor Harold Flick (14 May 1937 – 14 November 2024) was an English studio guitarist, prominent in the 1960s and known for playing the guitar riff in the "James Bond Theme". Early life Flick was born in Worcester Park, Surrey on 14 May 1937. ...

on guitar) * 1960: Les Fantômes * 1963:

Bijele Strijele Bijele Strijele (trans. ''The White Arrows'') were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Zagreb in 1961. They were one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav rock scene. Bijele Strijele were one of first rock bands to be formed in Yugoslavia. The band's debu ...

* 1963:

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

(arranged by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

) * 1964:

(with new lyrics written by Dottie Faye) * 1965:

* 1965:

* 1967:

* 1971:

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

　Live in Los Angeles, CA (The Ventures version) * 1972:

Pink Fairies Pink Fairies are an English proto-punk rock band initially active in the London (Ladbroke Grove) underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug use, and anarchy, and often performed impromptu gigs and ot ...

* 1973:

Sha Na Na Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll and doo-wop revival group formed in 1969. The group performed a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs that both revived and parodied the music and the New York City street culture of the 1 ...

* 1974:

Mike Auldridge Mike Auldridge (December 30, 1938 – December 29, 2012) was an American Dobro player and a founding member of the bluegrass group The Seldom Scene. The ''New York Times'' described Auldridge as "one of the most distinctive dobro players in th ...

* 1977:

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...

* 1981: The Penguin Cafe Orchestra * 1983:

JFA (band) JFA (Jodie Foster's Army) is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1981, with roots in Arizona and in Southern California skateboard culture. The original members include Brian Brannon (vocals), Don Redondo (guitar), Michael Cornelius (bass) ...

(Jodie Foster's Army) * 1984:

Kazumi Watanabe is a Japanese guitarist. Other guitarists such as Luke Takamura and Sugizo have cited him as an influence. Career Watanabe learned guitar at the age of 12 from Sadanori Nakamure at the Yamaha Music School in Tokyo. He released his first album ...

* 1992:

Those Darn Accordions Those Darn Accordions, commonly abbreviated as TDA, are an American accordion band from San Francisco, California, originally formed in 1989 by Linda "Big Lou" Seekins. Boasting several accordionists whose numbers have fluctuated over the years ...

, performed entirely on

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

s * 1993:

California Guitar Trio California Guitar Trio (CGT) is an acoustic–electric band (music), band formed in Los Angeles in 1991 with the aim of expanding the potential of acoustic guitars played in the New standard tuning (NST) introduced by Robert Fripp on Guitar Cra ...

* 1994:

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...

Little Big League ''Little Big League'' is a 1994 American family sports film about a 12-year-old who suddenly becomes the owner and then manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. It stars Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield, and Ashley Crow. The film is dir ...

'' soundtrack (The Ventures version) * 1998:

* 1998:

The Trashmen The Trashmen were an American rock band formed in Minneapolis in 1962 and are best known for their biggest hit, 1963's " Surfin' Bird", which reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The original line-up of the group featured guitarists Ton ...

on compilation ''Bird Call!'' * 1999: Johnny A. * 2003:

and the

* 2004:

Terrafolk 220px, Terrafolk in concert (2007) Terrafolk is a Slovenian folk band, formed in 1999 at Festival Lent in Slovenia. They quickly rose to fame, performing at numerous festivals throughout Europe, including the Edinburgh Fringe and Glastonbury, an ...

(as a medley featuring also "

Music for a Found Harmonium The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) was an avant-pop band led by English guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, the band toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band's sound is not easily categorized, having el ...

Appearances in feature length films

* 1988: '' Aloha Summer'' * 1988: ''

Crocodile Dundee II ''Crocodile Dundee II'' is a 1988 action comedy film and the second installment of the ''Crocodile Dundee'' film series. It is a sequel to '' Crocodile Dundee'' (1986) and was followed by ''Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles'' (2001). Actors Pau ...

'' * 1992: ''

The Rocking Horsemen ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'' * 1993: ''

Wayne's World 2 ''Wayne's World 2'' is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Stephen Surjik and starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a public-access television cable television show in Aurora, Illinois. The film is the sequel to ''Wayne's World'' ...

'' * 1993: '' Matinee'' * 1999: '' American Pie'' * 2000: '' The Goddess of 1967'' * 2010: '' Flipped'' * 2014: ''

Pawn Sacrifice ''Pawn Sacrifice'' is a 2014 American biographical psychological drama film about Bobby Fischer, a chess grandmaster and the eleventh world champion. It follows Fischer's challenge against top Soviet chess grandmasters during the Cold War and ...

References

External links

Walk, Don't Run
Documentary produced by '' Full Focus'' {{Authority control 1954 songs 1960 singles The Ventures songs Glen Campbell songs 1964 singles 1960s instrumentals Surf instrumentals